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THE AMEBIC AX NATURALIST [Vol. XLIII 



time that the high one is whistled. Imitate the call by whistling the 

 upper and at the same time humming the lower of the following notes : 

 Concerning the call of the toad after the breading season 

 she writes: 



I have heard this feeble note of the toad in August only some half 

 dozen times (the toads wore under observation in "moss garden" in 

 the house). 



One of the toads in experiment no. II. gave this call 

 April 5, 6 and 22. I heard at least ten toads giving this 

 feeble note on the afternoon of the twenty-first of Sep- 

 tember, 1907, and at night of the same date just before 

 a thunder storm. In 1908 this trill was heard as late 

 as September 26. This note is not at all similar to that 

 of the breeding season. It is about the same pitch but 

 much weaker, more guttural, and not so long. The trill 

 is not so distinct as in the spring call. 



It has already been stated that on an average 88.8 per 

 cent, of all the toads in a pond at any given time are males. 

 Thus, for every female there are seven males. Often a 

 male clasps a female before she reaches the water and she 

 must carry him to the pond. At the pond a lively scene 

 follows until the female with her mate reaches the spawn- 

 ing place. I have often observed two or three males 

 clasping the same female and a few instances of four. 

 In such cases the female is helpless and is usually held 

 underwater. Darwin states on the authority of Dr. Giin- 

 ther that a female is sometimes drowned during the strug- 

 gle among the males. In these contests the male always 

 gets hold of the female, for he will not hold another male. 



^ The one that first clasps the female in the mating posi- 

 tion can not be dislodged, no matter how much stronger 

 his rivals may be. The female, if she is in the water, 



during oviposition. 

 ^ Males can not distinguish at sight males from females. 

 For this reason they are continually clasping one another. 

 They have a call of three or four notes which they utter 

 in rapid succession when taken up between the finger and 



